Monday, August 19, 2013

A light plane pilot and his passenger have walked away uninjured from a crash in a Victoria Point horse paddock this morning.The pilot, a 22-year-old Annerley man, was forced to make an emergency landing after the Jabiru Chase J170 recorded engine failure at about 11am on Tuesday. His passenger was 18.

An emergency services spokesman said paramedics checked the pilot and passenger for injuries, but neither required assistance.

The pilot declined to comment to waiting media but spoke to police at length about the forced landing.The ultralight experienced minor damage to its propeller, windscreen and landing gear after it swiped an electric fence and barbed-wire fence, before coming to a rest in a paddock off Brendan Way.

The two fences, between neighboring properties, were both knocked over after the landing gear hit them both.

Nearby residents reported hearing a crash after the plane struck the fences.

Fire crews from Cleveland and Redland Bay were first at the scene, which attracted a crowd of onlookers and witnesses.

The plane will be dismantled so it can be taken out of the paddock on a truck.

A Buffalo Airways DC-3 made a hard landing Monday at the Yellowknife airport after its right engine burst into flames, 30 seconds after take-off.

None of the 21 passengers and three crew on board the flight was injured.

The plane, which was a scheduled flight from Yellowknife to Hay River, N.W.T., circled back to return to the airport.

One passenger said it just missed a set of hydro wires and plowed through treetops trying to make it back to the runway.

David Connelly, one of 21 passengers on the 5 p.m. flight, said it was like a scene right out of a movie.

"Honest to God, we were cutting the trees," he said.

"I mean he was able to take the tops off a few trees and fly it into a clear field. Had we hit the trees, had we gone totally into the trees, it would've been game over and he just missed the wires by inches. Some great force was with us; well, a damn good pilot but I'll give it a damn good pilot and a good force."

The plane didn't quite make it and landed hard on its belly in a ditch about a hundred metres from the runway, with its landing gear still up.

The owner of the Second World War-era plane says it was built to endure some tough landings and his pilots did some quick thinking.

"Nobody got hurt. Nobody got shook up. They said it was quite smooth other than the very end; there was a little bit of a bump," said Joe McBryan.

"I think the crew did a marvelous job under the circumstances. Mechanical problems do happen and it’s how you react to it. I think they reacted very well to it."

A three-person team from the Transportation Safety Board are on the scene investigating the plane now. "Over the next few days the team will be conducting those interviews and begin the mechanical examination of the aircraft," says John Lee, the TSB's western regional manager

The team will also collect files from the company pertaining to the maintenance of the aircraft and the training files for the flight crew, Lee told CBC News.Story, Photo and Comments/Reaction: http://www.cbc.ca

Photo shared by Transportation Safety Board, which cited RCMP as the source, shows wreckage of a de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver that crashed near Tofino on Friday.

Photograph by: Handout

According to one of the survivors of the float plane crash Friday morning on Vancouver Island, the aircraft burst into flames upon impact, and the ensuing fire may have been what killed the pilot and one of five passengers.

The crash happened just weeks after the release by the Transportation Safety Board of a report saying Transport Canada’s failure to implement recommendations to prevent or mitigate post-crash fires in small planes was placing pilots and passengers at risk.

“These issues that are apparent this time, in this investigation (of Friday’s) accident, have been raised by several agencies, the coroner and ourselves,” said Bill Yearwood, regional manager and spokesman for the safety board. “We will continue to draw attention to those if, in fact, they did play a part in the loss of life.”

In the report, the safety board said proximity to engine fuel, limited escape time, the likelihood of immobilizing injuries, and the long distance from emergency personnel increases the risk to passengers on small planes.

Avid outdoorsman John Young and four others had been hiking the remote, fly-in Hesquiaht Peninsula trail. They were returning to Gold River, where charter float plane company Air Nootka is based north of Tofino.

The plane crashed three minutes after takeoff, killing the pilot and one other. Neither have been identified.

Young was seriously injured, suffering a shattered sternum, broken ribs, broken clavicle, and third-degree burns to his legs. He remains in Victoria General Hospital.

A second hiker was also hospitalized with unknown injuries, and two others walked away unharmed. It is believed they were seated in the rear of the de Havilland Beaver. Young said the fire started in the front.

Transportation Safety Board investigators were expected to reach the site by lunchtime on Monday. Days of poor weather slowed progress because the site is accessible only by air or hike. It also prolonged the search for the wreckage on Friday, which took over four hours and the concerted effort of numerous agencies and volunteers.

Since 2006, the board has been calling for changes such as a way to kill the battery and therefore cut power to the fuel pump, eliminating any ignition source. The safety board has called Transport Canada’s response “unsatisfactory.”

Last May, a similar float plane went down near Peachland, and a post-crash fire killed three people on board, including the pilot. And in 2011, the highly publicized crash of a Northern Thunderbird Air Beechcraft King Air 100 at Vancouver International Airport killed both pilots and severely injured seven others when the plane burst into flames on the runway.

In 2012, a coroner’s review panel into 23 deaths caused by four float plane crashes over five years said Transport Canada should require float plane passengers to wear flotation devices, and require planes to have rapid-escape emergency exits. Young described difficulty in opening the plane’s doors after Friday’s crash.

The panel also reiterated the need to install battery-killing devices to prevent post-crash fires. Transport Canada has said it supports the recommendations, but none of the major reforms have been implemented.

“The department understands and supports the intent of the Transportation Safety Board’s position. To reduce the number of post-impact fires and increase survivability of passengers, (Transport Canada) and other regulators continue to work toward developing improved standards,” spokeswoman Karine Martel wrote in an email, adding planes are now required to increase fire resistance of the fuselage and some on-board components like seats and overhead bins.

“In the case of the kill switch, safety authorities around the world share the position that the kill switch is not an absolute solution, and that there are risks with the technology. The challenge is finding solutions that are practical on a wide range of aircraft types and ages. (Transport Canada) continues to work with its international partners to ensure a harmonized approach to aircraft design standards, as aircraft are exported to other countries.”

Transport Canada, working with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and European Aviation Safety Agency, is focused on prevention and addressing areas like loss of control, mismanagement of engine failure by pilots, and what is known as “controlled flight into terrain,” where the pilot unintentionally flies the aircraft into the ground.

Yearwood said the exact cause of Friday’s crash was unknown — whether mechanical, weather-related, or a combination — but the pilot in this case did have plenty of experience, and investigators are looking into other factors.

“The signatures of this accident as we can see already draw attention to things the board continues to raise as issues, and that’s post-crash fires. We know there’s been a post-crash fire in this accident.”

Manufacturers have improved the exits on some Beaver aircraft, but it wasn’t immediately known if the plane in this case had those upgrades.

It's not something you see every day on Canandaigua Lake, though lifting a seaplane out of the watery depths is something Jeremy Fields has done before."We've recovered about three seaplanes now. There has been other cases where we've done this, but not quite as exciting as this one was."Fields got the call Saturday morning after pilot Joseph Bell of Canandaigua flipped his 1980 Cessna Model 185 during takeoff."It was about halfway up the lake."Authorities say Bell was able to get out of the cockpit and into the water. He wasn't hurt."Actually he was very calm. As a pilot you gotta remain that way, and he did a great job."Authorities say several Canandaigua Lake neighbors saw the crash, and were able to get Bell, by boat, safely to shore.Fields' construction company used a barge and a crane to save the plane."So what we have to do is mobilize the barge, some way to crane it, because we're trying to save the plane, obviously."Once the aircraft was brought safely to shore, investigators with the FAA began their work, trying to determine the cause of the crash.The Cessna will eventually be disassembled, then taken to the Canandaigua Airport for repairs.Fields says all things considered, it could have been a whole lot worse."Yeah, he did a very good job, did everything right and knew what he was doing."

A third accident Friday happened near the tiny community
of Aylsham near Nipawin. The 66-year-old pilot said his wheels touched
the ground while it was in a turn, causing it to crash. He walked away
with no injuries.

The SAAA operates training and safety programs and seminars for the province's crop dusting pilots.

"There's
a 40 to 50 hour program on aerial spraying," O'Carroll explained, "and
then they'll work for an operator, and you're under strict supervision
for 12 months while you're working for that operator."

O'Carroll
says there are about 100 crop dusting planes operating in the province
during the four-month spraying season and accidents are typically rare.

In light of these crashes, O'Carroll says there will likely be changes forthcoming within the industry.

"We
have conferences every year and training seminars and sessions. [We
will] talk about some of these accidents with our members and try to
rectify things a little bit."

HASTINGS, MI -- A 40-year-old Lansing man who was briefly unconscious
after hitting the ground hard in a skydiving accident is expected to
recover, the manager of the Hastings City/Barry County airport said.The accident happened about 6:25 p.m. Friday when the skydiver began to spiral out of control.He was in the process of making several turns at the direction of an instructor when he lost control, state police said.Related: Man airlifted to hospital after skydiving accident at Hastings airportMark Noteboom, airport manager, said he was told the skydiver had
injuries that were not life-threatening. He also was told it may have
been the man's first solo skydive.On Friday, the skydiver was flown to Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital for treatment following the accident.Source: http://www.mlive.com

A small private plane made an emergency landing Monday morning in a field north of Healdsburg, according to a Sonoma County sheriff's official.The two people on board weren't hurt and the pilot was able to fix whatever was wrong and take off again, said sheriff's Sgt. Brad Burke.At about 9:30 a.m. the pilot alerted the tower at the Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport that the bi-plane had lost power.At that time the plane was about six miles north of the airport. The pilot reported they'd landed in a field.Emergency officials estimated the plane was east of Fitch Mountain and about seven miles north of Alexander Valley.Deputies headed into the north county area to find the plane, but the pilot had taken off before deputies found it.“Everyone was OK. It was strictly mechanical. They were able to fix it and take off,” said Burke.The Federal Aviation Administration contacted sheriff's officials to say the incident wasn't a crash and no investigation was needed.Story and Comments/Reaction: http://www.pressdemocrat.com

CHESTERFIELD • A single-engine plane went off the end of a runway this afternoon at Spirit of St. Louis Airport but no one was hurt, authorities said. The plane did not catch fire and the pilot was not hurt, said Assistant Chief John Borgmann of the Monarch Fire Protection District. The accident occurred about 1:45 p.m.

John Bales, airport director, said the lightweight plane is an experimental taildragger that rolled off the end of the runway into the grass while landing. Initially, it appeared the plane's nose gear had collapsed but Bales said the nose of the plane tipped forward when it hit the grass. The pilot got out and uprighted the plane.

Several emergency vehicles were dispatched but quickly turned around after authorities determined the pilot was OK.

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.

On August 18, 2013, about 1000 Pacific daylight time, a Cessna 172B airplane, N8141X, sustained substantial damage following a loss of engine power during cruise flight, and ditched into a remote mountain lake, about 18 miles northwest of Sisters, Oregon. The airplane was being operated by the pilot as a personal local flight, under the provisions of Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and no flight plan was filed. The pilot and the three passengers were not injured. The flight departed the Lebanon Airport, Lebanon, Oregon, (S30) about 0745.

During a telephone interview with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) on August 22, the pilot said that he and his passengers had flown to the remote area to scout potential camp sites for an upcoming trip to the area.

During the return flight to the airport, the engine abruptly quit. He was able to restart the engine, and suspecting the possibility of carburetor ice, he used carburetor heat. The engine ran for about 5 minutes, and abruptly quit again. He was able to restart the engine, which ran for 2-3 minutes before quitting for the third time. He restarted the engine, but it ran for less than one minute. He was unable to restart the engine.

The pilot had been flying over heavily wooded, rugged terrain, when he elected to ditch the airplane in a lake. He prepared the airplane and passengers for the ditching. After the airplane came to rest in the water near a shoreline, the pilot and passengers exited the airplane as the cabin filled with water and swam to shore.

The airplane sank in about 8 feet of water, coming to rest on the bottom of the lake, with its tail protruding above the surface.

According to the pilot, the airplane is owned by a family member, and they have been flying it for the past 3-4 years. He said there were no known mechanical problems with the airplane prior to the accident.

The airplane has not been recovered from the lake.

MARION FORKS — There’s a
good chance a 1961 Cessna 172 sitting at the bottom of Marion Lake may
fly again some day, according to Larry Lewis, an investigator for the
National Transportation Safety Board.

Pilot Travor Schultz, 28,
of Lebanon glided the plane into the lake after its engine stalled four
times a little after 10 a.m. Sunday. Schultz and his three passengers
escaped the plane uninjured before it sank. Boy Scouts from Salem who
were camping near the lake assisted the four and guided them to a nearby
trailhead to meet Linn County deputies.“It’s in fresh water, not
salt water,” Lewis said. “There probably wasn’t a lot of damage to the
plane itself, or the four passengers probably would not have been able
to get out without injury.”But extrication will be a
little more difficult than similar crashes because Marion Lake is in
the Jefferson Wildness Area of the Willamette National Forest, where
motorized vehicles and equipment are not allowed.Lewis spent 13 years with the NTSB in Alaska and has investigated numerous plane crashes involving water landings.“The process is that
we’ve been dealing with the owners’ insurance company,” Lewis said.
“They’ve gotten in touch with a salvage company from the Oregon coast,
and they’re developing a plan to raise the plane.”Lewis said he has not
visited the lake, but will examine the plane once it is on dry land. He
works out of a home office north of Spokane.“Typically, a helicopter
will pluck the plane out of the water and airlift it to a nearby
landing, where the wings will be taken off and the body put on a truck
to be moved to an airport,” Lewis said.Lewis said that in most
cases like this, large float bags will be attached to the plane. They
will be filled with air and the plane floated to the surface.“I don’t know what the
shoreline is like, but usually, they tow the plane to a beach and let
the water drain out of it,” Lewis said.Marion Lake encompasses about 300 acres in the far northeast corner of Linn County.http://www.gazettetimes.com

Aircraft landed on Marion Lake and sank, the 4 persons on board swam to shore, near Marion Forks, Oregon

Ben Kamph /The Statesman

Ben Kamph /The Statesman

Ben Kamph /The Statesman

Ben Kamph /The Statesman

Ben Kamph /The Statesman

Ben Kamph of McMinnville was hiking a trail with his son and family members near Marion Lake Sunday morning when they noticed a single-engine plane fall from about 8,000 feet in the air. “We were on a trail and saw a plane shaking and going down,” he said.

Kamph didn’t see the plane land, but after heading down to Marion Lake where it eventually landed, he saw four passengers swim to shore.

Campers who were closer to the lake saw the plane land in the water about 200 feet from shore, he said.

The four passengers survived the crash, but the plane sunk quickly.

“It sunk within a matter of seconds,” Kamph said. “The entire plane was under water.”

According to the Linn County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were notified of the crash around 11:30 a.m. Marion Lake is located in the Willamette National Forest about three miles east of Highway 22. It is accessed by hiking about two miles from the end of Marion Road.

The single engine fixed winged airplane crashed after losing power.

Trevor Jordan Schultze, 28, was flying the plane, which also carried Tim Lee Miller, 47, Tyrel Miller, 13, and Megan Miller, 12 from the Lebanon area. They were found by deputies unharmed. The plane reportedly began experiencing engine problems around 10 a.m. and within a few minutes had total engine failure. Schultze spotted Marion Lake and glided the plane safely to the water.

Kamph said that the 13-year-old passenger jumped from the plane while it was still in the air.

A Boy Scout troop from Salem was camping at Marion Lake when the plane crashed. Troop members led the pilot and passengers to the trail head where they met with law enforcement personnel.

The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transport Safety Board will continue the investigation into the incident and arrange for retrieval of the plane.

NTSB investigators either traveled in support of this investigation or conducted a significant amount of investigative work without any travel, and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.

The experimental/amateur built airplane was being operated by the pilot as a personal local flight. The airport manager reported that, in previous conversations, the pilot had told him that he was interested in practicing spins and other maneuvers in the airplane and that he had directed the pilot to a known practice area for the airport. Witnesses reported seeing the airplane spiraling toward the ground in the distance, and, although they did not see the impact, they were concerned, so a search for the airplane was initiated, and the wreckage was located in the area where the airport manager had directed the pilot.A video-recording device found in the airplane contained a digital file that captured the accident flight from taxi to impact. The video showed the pilot initiating an intentional left spin. During the first few rotations, the engine quit, and the propeller stopped turning. After several additional rotations, the spin stabilized but the airplane continued its descent about 20-degrees nose down until impact. During the descent, the pilot was observed applying various control inputs without effect.The airplane had been modified from the original design specifications and was equipped with a heavier engine than the engine recommended by the kit manufacturer. The kit manufacturer reported that, if the airplane was built to the manufacturer’s specification and engine recommendation, the airplane had spin and recovery characteristics similar to low-wing airplanes. However, due to the modifications on the accident airplane, the spin characteristics were unknown. Regardless, the airplane had not been test flown for spins.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:The pilot’s decision to intentionally enter a spin in the airplane, which had unknown spin characteristics due to the engine modification, from which he was unable to recover.

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On August 18, 2013, about 1930 Pacific daylight time, a Nelson KR2, amateur-built experimental airplane, N9028Q, sustained substantial damage when it collided with trees and terrain, about four miles west of Cataldo, Idaho. The airplane was being operated by the pilot as a personal local flight, under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The pilot received fatal injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The flight departed the Shoshone County Airport (KS83), Kellogg, Idaho, about 1900.

According to the local Sheriff's Office, witnesses had seen the airplane spiraling toward the ground in the distance, and although they did not see the impact were concerned for the well-being of the pilot. A search for the airplane was initiated, which resulted in the wreckage being located by local residents and a law enforcement helicopter.

A video recording device found at the accident site was retained by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC), for further examination by the NTSB Vehicle Recorder Division.

Witnesses interviewed at the Shoshone County Airport reported that on previous occasions the pilot had asked about airspace where he might practice spin recoveries, or mild aerobatics. The area of the accident was near the local practice area.

No pilot or airplane logbooks were discovered for examination.

PERSONNEL INFORMATION

The pilot, age 67, held a private pilot certificate with a rating for airplane single-engine land. He was issued a third-class Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airman medical certificate without limitations on March 29, 2012.

No personal flight records were discovered for the pilot, and the aeronautical experience listed in this report was obtained from a review of the airman's FAA records on file in the Airman and Medical Records Center in Oklahoma City. On the pilot's most recent application for an airman medical certificate, dated March 29, 2012, he indicated that his total aeronautical experience consisted of about 305 hours, of which he listed 0 hours accrued in the previous 6 months.

AIRCRAFT INFORMATION

The airplane was an experimental/amateur-built Nelson KR2, N9028Q, manufactured in 1980, and equipped with a Continental Motors A-75 series engine.

No airframe or engine logbooks were discovered for examination. However, the aircraft mechanic who performed the last required annual condition inspection provided documentation showing that the last condition inspection was completed on April 3, 2013, and at the time of the inspection the airplane had accrued 519.9 hours of total airframe flight/operating time.

WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION

On August 19, the wreckage was examined at the crash site by the NTSB IIC, accompanied by an FAA aviation safety inspector. The airplane had descended near vertically through dense trees and brush to impact with terrain. It came to rest upright on a moderately steep slope. The left wing and empennage were severed from the airplane, but the control cables remained intact, and control continuity was established. All of the major components, flight control surfaces, and structural members were present at the accident site. The impact site was 40 to 50 feet in diameter.

MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION

A postmortem examination of the pilot was performed under the authority of the Spokane County Medical Examiner, Spokane, Washington, on August 20, 2013. The examination revealed that the cause of death was attributed to blunt force injuries associated with an airplane accident.

A toxicological examination by the FAA's Civil Aeromedical Institute (CAMI) on September 19, 2013, was negative for any alcohol or drugs.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

On-board Video Recorder

During the examination of the airplane at the accident site, the IIC located a Contour Roam 2 video recorder in the wreckage. The camera was sent to the NTSB Vehicle Recorder Laboratory in Washington, DC for examination.

The examination revealed that the video recorder was undamaged, and contained numerous video files. The two most recent files pertained to the accident flight. The recorder was mounted in the airplane at the rear of the cabin/cockpit, essentially looking over the pilot's right shoulder. The instrument panel and some flight controls are visible in the foreground, with the pilot on the left.

The first file, FILE0005.mp4, was 2 minutes and 39 seconds in length, and recorded the pilot starting the airplane. The airplane does not have an electric starter, and the video captured the pilot hand propping the airplane. The pilot was outside the airplane in this video.

The second file, FILE0006.mp4, was 3 hours and 47 minutes in duration, and captured the accident flight from taxi to the impact at the accident site.

Essentially, the first part of the flight was uneventful with the pilot performing some turns and steep banked maneuvers. Upon reaching the geographical area where the accident occurred, the pilot initiated an intentional spin, throttling the engine to idle, pulling on the carburetor heat, and increasing the nose up attitude of the airplane until it stalled and entered a spin to the left. During the first few rotations the engine quit, and the propeller stopped turning. After several rotations the spin stabilized about 20 degrees nose down, and remained in the steady state until impact. During the descent the pilot was observed attempting various control inputs without effect.

Airplane design

The KR 2 was originally designed by Rand Robinson Engineering. The prototype was completed in late May of 1974, and the first flight was on June 1. The airplanes are either plans or kit built, and may be equipped in a tailwheel configuration with retractable landing gear, or tricycle fixed landing gear. The original design specifications called for a 1600 to 1700 cubic centimeter Volkswagen engine.

During a telephone conversation with the NTSB IIC on October 15, the owner of nVAero stated that he was aware of the accident airplane, and knew that the airplane was equipped with a Continental aircraft engine. He said the Continental engine is heavier than the recommended VW engine. He further stated that he had spun other KR 2 airplanes in the past, and that the spin and recovery characteristics of the "stock" airplanes (meaning plans/kit built airplanes adhering closely to build specification and engine recommendations) were similar to other low-wing light airplanes. He said due to the modifications on the accident airplane, he could not speak to its spin characteristics.

FAA Documents

Experimental Amateur-Built airplanes are issued Special Airworthiness Certificates. The accident airplane's Special Airworthiness Certificate was issued on August 14, 2012. Prior to the issuance of the certificate, the builder must provide a statement of Experimental Operating Limitations for Phase I and Phase II of the flight test period, as prescribed in FAA Order 8130.2G, change 1, dated 7/2/2012.

The accident airplane's statement of limitations includes aerobatic maneuvers for which the airplane had been test flown. A spin is an aerobatic maneuver. The accident airplane was test flown for wing-overs, rolls, and loops, but was not test flown for spins. A copy of the Airplane's Operating Limitations is attached to the docket for this report.

http://registry.faa.gov/N9028QNTSB Identification: WPR13FA38014 CFR Part 91: General AviationAccident occurred Sunday, August 18, 2013 in Cataldo, IDAircraft: NELSON EDGAR H KR-2, registration: N9028QInjuries: 1 Fatal.This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators either traveled in support of this investigation or conducted a significant amount of investigative work without any travel, and used data obtained from various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.On August 18, 2013, about 1930 Pacific daylight time, a Nelson Edgar H KR2, amateur-built experimental airplane, N9028Q, sustained substantial damage when it collided with trees and terrain, about four miles west of Cataldo, Idaho. The airplane was being operated by the pilot as a personal local flight, under the provisions of Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and no flight plan was filed. The pilot received fatal injuries. The flight departed the Kellogg, Shoshone County Airport (KS83), Kellogg, Idaho, about 1900.According to the local Sheriff's Office, witnesses had seen the airplane spiraling toward the ground in the distance, and although they did not see the impact were concerned for the well-being of the pilot. A search for the airplane was initiated and later located by local residents and a law enforcement helicopter.On August 19, the wreckage was examined at the crash site by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC), accompanied by an FAA air safety inspector. The airplane descended vertically through dense trees and brush and impacted the ground. It came to rest upright on a moderately steep slope. The left wing and empennage were severed from the airplane, but the control cables remained intact, and control continuity was established. All of the major components, flight control surfaces, and structural members were present at the site. The impact site was 40-50 feet in diameter.Witnesses interviewed at the Shoshone County Airport reported that on previous occasions the pilot inquired about airspace where he might practice spin recoveries and aerobatics. The area of the accident was near the local practice area.

Mike Lippis is consoled by two female residents of the home near the crash site of his father's plane.

Pilot dies in crash
Michael S. Donaldson, aviation safety inspector for the Federal Aviation Administration, conducts an investigation of a small airplane crash Monday near a residence in Cataldo. The small, single engine aircraft craft was reported Sunday evening killing the single passenger and pilot John T. Lippis.

CATALDO - As Mark Pennington looked over the plane that just missed his rural Kootenai County home when it crashed Sunday night, the teen reflected on how stunning the accident was.

John T. Lippis, 67, Spokane, the pilot and lone occupant of the 1980 fixed-wing, single-engine "experimental" (amateur-built) plane, died in the crash at 13778 S. Beaver Road on a ridge between Rose Lake and Cataldo.

"The last moments of his life were spent on that plane," Pennington said softly. "I can't imagine it."

The two-seat plane crashed in thick brush and trees about 50 feet from the home and 10 feet behind a boat and guest house on the property.

Although no one was home at the time of the crash, Pennington said the plane would likely have caused heavy property damage if it had struck the house. He said it's bizarre that a plane crashed next to the home in the country.

"It's not every day that you have a plane crash in your backyard," he said.

Mike Lippis, the pilot's son, said on scene on Monday morning that his father has flown planes for several years. He owned the one that crashed for about a year.

"He was getting some practice in before flying it to Denver," Mike Lippis said. "He lived a life of integrity."

John Lippis and his sons, Dan and Mike, founded Swedish Motorcar Service in Spokane in 1991. The company specializes in Saab repairs. John had serviced Saabs for more than 40 years.

"He took exceptional care of his customers," Lippis said of his father. "He was generous and always helping others."

Barbara Pennington, who lives at the residence where the crash occurred, consoled Mike Lippis after he arrived on Monday morning to see the wreck.

"I've been praying for the family all morning about it," she said. "We'll put a cross back there (at the crash scene) for them."

Neighbors reported hearing what sounded like a plane crash at 7:45 p.m. Sunday.

"Indications are that Lippis had taken off from the Shoshone County airport at an unknown time in the afternoon (on Sunday) to do some recreational flying in the area," a Kootenai County Sheriff's Office press release states.

Lippis has a hangar at the airport and regularly flew around Shoshone County in the evenings, investigators said.

The KCSO, Idaho State Police, Shoshone County EMS, the Rose Lake Quick Response Unit and Medstar helicopter responded to search for the plane.

At 10:50 p.m., with the assistance of the Spokane County Sheriff's Office's Air One Unit, the crash scene was located.

The National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the crash to determine the cause.

Larry Lewis, NTSB air safety investigator, said it could take several days to piece together what happened. Such small planes don't have black boxes to help investigators understand what happened in the moments before the crash.

He said he planned to interview witnesses and personnel from the airport where Lippis took off. Plane and pilot records will also be reviewed.

"We're still in the preliminary stages of the investigation," Lewis said.

All of the parts of the plane were at the crash scene, making Lewis believe it didn't fall apart in the air.

Lewis said that since much of the foliage around the plane appeared to be undisturbed, it appeared the plane had a vertical descent before the crash.

A camera was recovered from the plane, but investigators didn't say whether it offers any clues as to what happened.

CATALDO, Idaho -- The Kootenai County sheriff's office said the pilot of a small plane was killed in a crash Sunday night near Cataldo. The pilot was the only person on board according to authorities. Officials identified the pilot as John T. Lippis, 67, of Spokane. Investigators are still at the crash site located near a home on Beaver Road in the Cataldo, Idaho area.

Authorities in North Idaho said they found the site of a plane crash on Beaver Road after more than three hours of searching. They were notified of the crash on Sunday evening around 7:45 p.m.

Shoshone County, Kootenai County, Idaho State Police and multiple fire and rescue departments were all out in this area searching. Air One also helped find the crash site.

Officials said the plane was a 1980 fixed-wing, single engine plane classified as "experimental." Investigators said Lippis had taken off from the Shoshone County Airport something Sunday afternoon to do recreational flying.

Officials said there are no indications as to the cause of the crash. An autopsy has been requested by the Coroner's office.

Lippis’ son was on the scene Monday afternoon. He said his father was preparing to fly to Colorado to visit his mother. He described his father as a generous person. Lippis owned a repair shop in Spokane according to his son.

Investigators for the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash.Source: http://www.krem.com

CATALDO, Idaho -
The NTSB and FAA have now finished the ground investigation into the
crash of a small two-seater airplane that killed the pilot, John Lippis,
67, of Spokane.

Police
were called around 7:30 p.m. Sunday, after witnesses reported what
sounded like a plane crash just west of the small town of Cataldo,
Idaho. It took searchers from Kootenai County, Shoshone County and Idaho
State Police three hours to find the wreckage – which narrowly missed a
home and shed in the forested 13000 block of Beaver Road.

"A
neighbor called me and told me about it, and so right away I went
outside and walked on top of the hill and of course I didn't see
anything," neighbor Dennis Sager said. "It is hilly and there are a lot
of trees, and if it's among those trees, well, it's impossible to see
it, unless you're right on it."

Lippis was the only person aboard
the KR2 single-engine, fixed-wing kit plane, built in 1980. The
Kootenai County Sheriff's Office reported he had taken off from the
Shoshone County Airport for recreational flying sometime Sunday
afternoon, but it's still not clear what caused him to go down.

"That doesn't usually happen that close to home, but that can happen anywhere I guess," Sager added.

Lippis
opened Swedish Motorcar Service on East Francis in Spokane back in 1991
along with his two sons, according to the business' website.

The
plane narrowly missed one of about three homes on the rural road –
coming within feet of a shed on the property. The NTSB should release
the cause of the crash in the coming days, and an autopsy will be
performed to rule out any possible medical emergencies that may have
contributed to the crash.Source: http://www.khq.com

CATALDO--John T. Lippis, 67, a
Spokane resident with a hangar at the Shoshone County Airport for his
1980 fixed-wing, single engine plane classified as an "experimental"
died Sunday night after his plane crashed in a rural-residential area in
Cataldo.

Lieutenant
Stu Miller with the Kootenai County Sheriff's Office said that Lippis
frequently took recreational flights around Shoshone County during
evenings. It is unknown at this time when Lippis took off, but Miller
said it was sometime Sunday afternoon.

The Spokane native's plane
was discovered at approximately 11 p.m. in the area of South River Rd.
and South Beaver Rd. in Cataldo when a resident of 13778 S. Beaver Road
arrived home. Miller said she heard from neighbors that there was a
plane crash and so she took a flashlight into her backyard and
discovered the plane.

Miller said that one wing was left intact
on the plane when it was discovered. An "experimental" plane means that
the aircraft was not built by a known manufacturer and was home-built
over three decades ago.

Miller added that residents near Tamarack
Ridge Rd. first called into authorities about a low-flying plane at
approximately 7:45 p.m.

Spokane County Sheriff's Office Air One
Unit used an emergency beacon locator on the plane belonging to Lippis,
but it took more than three hours to find the crash scene.

Miller said the woman's father was home at the time of the crash, but did not notice any disturbance.

Lippis was the sole occupant of the small plane and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Investigators
from the National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation
Administration are currently at the crash site to help determine the
cause of the crash, according to Miller.

An autopsy has been requested by the Kootenai County Coroner's office, though an exact date has not been released.

Personnel
from Shoshone County Fire District 2 responded to the area of the crash and Miller said that several law enforcement agencies are also assisting.

It happened around 7:30 p.m. Sunday night in an empty field some 3 miles from the Texarkana Regional Airport.

Emergency responders say the plane was experiencing some type of engine trouble. The pilot deployed the CAPS parachute and force landed to a field etween highway 549 and Sanderson Lane in Miller County.

According to authorities, the pilot was walking around the scene and did not appear to be injured.

The National Transportation Safety Board has been contacted and will be investigating the crash.

The plane landed without further incident. No damage or casualties were reported. El Al technicians looked into the source of the problem.

In July, a level two emergency was declared at Ben Gurion Airport as a Greek plane made an emergency landingat the airport. Dozens of rescue workers, vehicles, fire trucks, and
ambulances gathered on the tarmac near the where the plane successfully
landed.

The plane had 170 passengers aboard and belonged to HRM, a carrier that does not fly to Israel. The plane was apparently on its way to Amman when it sustained major damage to its hydraulic system. The pilot radioed Ben Gurion Airport while still outside Israel's territorial waters, and IDF planes were scrambled to accompany it into Israeli airspace.Source: http://www.israelnationalnews.com